Mother of all Bombs Kills 36; GBU-43 Afghanistan Strike Hit ISIS

The so-called "mother of all bombs," the GBU-43B, reportedly killed 36 militants in Afghanistan.

The 21,600-pound Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) was dropped on a network of fortified underground tunnels in Nangarhar province, near the Pakistan border that ISIS had been using to attack government forces, CNN reported.

No civilians were hit during the strike, according to reports. U.S. military officials had estimated that the Islamic State had from 600 to 900 fighters in the area.

"Let me be clear – we will not relent in our mission to fight alongside our Afghan comrades to destroy ISIS K in 2017," General John Nicholson, the U.S. Commander for the NATO mission in Afghanistan said, referring to ISIS' regional branch, noted CNN.

"It is a huge weapon and is GPS-guided," said BBC News defenses correspondent Jonathan Marcus. "It was dropped from a MC-130 aircraft – the U.S. Special Forces variant of the Hercules transport. The weapon is carried on a special cradle inside the aircraft from which it is extracted by a parachute.

"Its principal effect is a massive blast over a huge area. It is a larger version of weapons used during the Vietnam War," he continued.

The bomb was dropped days after a Green Beret was killed fighting Islamic State militants in Nangarhar, but a U.S. defense official told Fox News the bombing was not connected with the death.

"The decision to drop the MOAB in eastern Afghanistan today sends a clear message that the United States is committed and determined to defeating ISIS and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan," Inhofe said in the statement.

"… This strike supports our Afghan partners and their fight against these terrorist groups. I applaud President Trump's commitment to the fight against terror, giving his military commanders the authorities they need to defeat our enemies and sending a clear message to both our enemies and our allies," Inhofe added.

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham voiced his approval of dropping the bomb in Twitter messages.

Pleased Air Force dropped MOAB against ISIL in Afghanistan. Must be more aggressive against ISIL everywhere - including Afghanistan. 1/2